I traveled a lot in Mexico in my youth -- not as a tourist, but as part of the landscape. Patzcuaro, a high mountain town in Michoacan, is one of the hubs for this annual celebration and I place I visited. I actually climbed that very tall hill in the middle of the lake. In my twenties at the time, I was puzzled by the annual event. Now, considerably older, I finally "get it". So here is a thumbs up to sugar skulls, catrinas and candles. It was good to remember.

I simply love this sugar skull necklace from Blow-up. So colorful and full of life while celebrating those no longer with us. Find it at the entrance to the shop. And by all means, celebrate!

My hair is a recent release from Vanity Fair. I found it mixed in my Objects folder while doing an inventory purge. Extremely nice in a Boho way, "Freedom" comes with both texture change streaks AND tinting. So, you can be anyone you want to be. I opted for subtle. OK, I am boring. I admit it. Still many choices.

There is no doubt about it, winter is on my mind. I am feeling "nesty". This upcoming release from Trompe Loeil for FaMESHed (November 1) nudged me into starting on my winter spot. The Barrel Beds come in both dark and white woods with many texture variations and weigh in at 12 impact points.

Homey with a touch of rustic, the Brown & White Peony version is perfect for this house from L2 (a past hunt prize that some of you may have). I spent my winter here last year at LEA and I am planning on it again. This year however, the skies are clear so I can enjoy the floating misty gray and the bright New Mexico winter sun -- in my mind anyway.

With forty one adjustable animations in the PG version and fifty-nine in the adult style, it makes a great photo prop too.

There is lots of newness and goodness over at K-Code. Shown here are three of the new releases. Color families are in evidence so mixing and matching is easy. I added some old favorites and made this fun outfit.

I am having a difficult time moving away from the new Nora skin from AKERUKA. Here is another version that goes perfectly with the soft grays of the morning. It is fragile while other makeups are dangerous.

My hair is a new release from Vanity Hair, Verity. Long rigged mesh with a tiny clip, it flows well with the body.

I've been out on the hunt trails again. Actually there have been many excursions but you will only read about a few of them. I DO have a great one for you that I found last evening. It's a pumpkin hunt (better than bones or spiders or bloody body parts for sure) at Rebel Hope Designs.

Eight pumpkins to find with six inside the shop and the other two not too far from entrances makes for an easy and fun escapade. The pumpkins are -- well pumpkin sized. They are not hidden and they are even full bright. That equates with EASY. They are also filled with some exceptionally nice gifts like this salsa dress.

There are four outfits in all plus some lingerie. There are also many, many lovely masks. These are not sculpts but simple curved prims. The textures are luscious and I am happy to add them to my mask collection which had very few bits of color. The earrings above are also in one of the pumpkins.

I don't often do a whole post on poses, but I am mightily impressed with the new Miaa set from Diesel Works. So it is me and my new winter snow prop (you'll be seeing a lot of it), and the bright and clear winter light.

My outfit is my first saved winter "Outfit" :D. Simple and neutral and comfy with a mix of new and old.

Back in my everyday skin now, I took one more dramatic photo with the new release AKERUKA skin. This is the same make up shown in the previous posts but with one of the blood tattoos added. It won't be my everyday look by any means but I do really like this skin. It will look lovely against the snow. Pale on pale.

I made a wintery prop today complete with exceptionally nice falling snow, so expect to see that as a backdrop on the morrow. I am ready for a change of seasons -- virtually anyway.

This is a philosophical piece, so if you are looking for fashion, just scroll down. There is a lovely post right below this. Meanwhile ----

I started to add some photos to my art blog this evening. The last entry was mid August (oh my!). Lots going on and it had been left to get dusty. I had something on my mind and felt I needed to put it down on virtual paper. But as I was typing on my other blog, I knew that I would feel better if
I put my words out where someone might actually read them.

I have been entering some photo contests of late. I enjoy the process and have fun with the creativity and styling. A contest to pick an additional blogger for COLLABOR88 just ended and I told myself that it would be wise not to make any blogwaves (that SHOULD be a word even though it is not) until the powers that be chose the winner. I have a chance I think, but only a chance. All things depend on points of view.

If this post loses me the spot on the 88 team, it will be lost fairly as I sometimes say what I think; no point hiding it. Over the years I know that many of you actually appreciate that. So here is my post from "Hit Me With Your Best Shots".

This was a photo for the Red Seal Hunt contest. Unfortunately I was the
only one that entered and the coordinators of the contest have apparently
decided not to give out a prize. I can understand that, but I really
would have appreciated a reply to my inquiry about the issue *wink*. Oh
well.

With that in mind I have decided that if I happen to win a prize for an
unscripted artwork at University of Western Australia next month, I
will share that prize with the person who didn't win last month because they had
the only non-scripted work for the "Water" theme (hence no competition). I don't remember who it was or
what the work was, but I know how hard I worked on this photo. I would
have liked at least a pat on the back -- virtually speaking. I suspect
the person who didn't win at UWA last month has the same sort of emotions.

These aren't the only instance of rules changing in contests lately. The practice seems fairly common these days. In the end most of the folks that enter are doing it for the joy of creativity, so perhaps it doesn't matter as much as I feel it should.

A new skin premieres today at AKERUKA. Nora and Godric (for the guys) are beautifully elegant in that vampire sort of way. A large selection of makeups let you choose the the gal you want to be. Violets are in evidence within the color palette and there are pale lips as well as dark crimson. Bloody lip tattoos come with the skin should you want to delve into some role play.

This is a pale taupe skin, one of my favorite specialty colors. Broken veins cover one cheek. This skin release is coupled with a group gift version for the holidays. Activate your tag and buy for a linden. The new skins weren't quite out yet when I visited the store in the early morning hours, but check back later in the day. Out now. Find the BIG group gift versions directly across from the entrance. New release skins are in the same alcove.

Both the Taylor hair and the Corrosion outfit release SATURDAY at EMO-tions.

My locale is the breathtakingly dark and moody sim, Faberge where The Point of Derivation lies. It was one of the stops on my hunt trail yesterday, my favorite of the bunch. There are two sim hunts in progress; one is a petite hunt searching for mushrooms, the other for us bigger folk. Find information on the hunts near the landing point. I found most all of the mushrooms (before I found they were for petites *wink*) and about half of the other prizes. There are no hints, so wandering is your mode of discovery.

The sim includes the abandoned theater from The Looking Glass as well as other buildings, ruins and swamps. Photo ops abound.

With close to a hundred hunts out there this month (no, I didn't actually count but with all the store and sim hunts I am betting we are close to that) there is no way to do them all. I have been on the hunt for the hunts most of this month and I am happy to say I have a new one to report on -- the Prim Perfect Halloween Hunt.

There are actually three parts to this adventure. I worked on part one, the more traditional hunt with ten haunted locales in the list. I found quite a few of the prizes and tokens, but two places were kill the zombies while you search and I am so not into that. And while I looked high and low at Bentham Forest I could only find the place where I suspect the prize "should" be, so perhaps it didn't make it out in time.

I came away with a lot of great gifts, plenty with the guys in mind. There is a very diverse assortment and many items will be hanging out in my inventory even though they may not be things I can photograph. One of the prettiest prizes is this beautifully made quiver basket filled with leaves and arrows from The Point of Derivation which is a spectacular sim (more on that soon). There is a bow too as well as a lovely fall garland to wear and a prize for petites.

The second part of the hunt involves heading over to Innsmouth to find another ten quest tokens. There are also other prizes that you can find by clicking on "gift" tabs in the Prim Perfect Magazine. I am evidently very dense as I read through the magazine twice and never spotted those gift tabs. It might be a browser thing? Don't know. If someone figures out the answer, please clue me in.

I had a GREAT time on my adventure and discovered a few new places where photo ops abound like here at Haunted Paths, absolutely chocked full of seasonal goodness at every turn. So get your hiking shoes on and explore some great spooky spots!

This [AD Creations] Passion dress is definitely made for drama. You can find it at the CINQUE rotunda for the next two and a half weeks. A mix of sculpts and mesh, you will want to pick up a demo from the box near the vendor.

Every good vamp needs a blood red costume -- especially this time of year.

New from Cheeky Pea exclusive for Zodiac’s Scorpio round -- the OmNom chair which features lots of animations for singles, couples and kids. The chair is color change with a variety of Fall palette colors. There are lots of great looking new releases at the intimate venue so be sure and venture over.

My Harem Mesh Flower Pants are a Boho Culuture Fair exclusive from Envyme. My hair is one of the new subscribo gifts from Exile, Betty Lou. Shoes by Baiastice (not new).

It is snowing already over at Dura Dura and while I don't want to deal with the whiteness in corporal terms, it is a welcome site -- a reminder of the quietness of winter.

There are new group gifts out at Dura, one for gals and one for guys with many colors in the pack and matching free hairbases nearby. Find them in both sides of the mall. Look for the pumpkins and the crowds.

I am wearing the new group gift skin, Marilyn, from Tableau Vivant and the lassitude & ennui Ophelia Pearl necktie from the Cafe Hunt long ago. I bet many of you have that in your closet still.

You don't see me in wings often. I prefer the understated for the most part. But now and then I journey over into fantasy; it's good to get out of our self-imposed boxes. This new Belladona set from Gwen Carillon Designs comes packed full of options including sleeve puffs, tutu skirt, train, lacy thong, fishnets, earrings --- and the list goes on an on.

There is an interesting notecard included with the set, explaining the release's name and some history behind it. Belladonna also known as Deadly Nightshade is a perennial herb. The foliage and berries are extremely toxic but also medicinal when used correctly. I knew that :D.

The collection was inspired by the "Ephemera" series by Anne Bishop and by the incredible "Virginia Alone" art installation in Second Life, by Bryn Oh. In every heart there are both shadows and light.

I opted for a minimalist styling showing you my favorite parts --- the corset bustier and wings. The gloves and eye tattoo are part of the set, but I opted for some modest leggings to draw more attention to the stars of my personal outfit. My necklace is Biensen+MaiTai - Dreaming Klimt; not new but hopefully still in the shop as it is so pretty.

This is Maddie, another new release from Amacci hair. Slightly messy with a touch of retro, it is quite lovely.

I finally made it over to COLLABOR88. OK, it took me a couple of weeks, but I did get there. My first trip was gray city and then life got busy *wink*.

I came away with two great finds, one being this super sexy jumpsuit with peplum from Hucci named Ibiza. Choose from many colors at a great price.There is a beautifully textured zipper in the back which adds to the realism and we like realism.

The other favorite is the cute little birdcage on the floor from PILOT. I added the bird, but you could also add flowers or leave the home empty. It is amazingly only one land impact point (oh my!). There are other styles available. It is resizeable to fit your needs.

A new addition to the PARADISIS hunt went out yesterday, this cute seasonal prop, "Candy Please" with three poses and /1a adjustments. Find it in a pumpkin amidst all the others. If you missed the previous posts on this event, there is a whole outfit and more to find.

Amacci has new releases out, both skin and hairs. This is the Hazel skin in Fair - "Amacci Skin - Hazel (Fair) - 11 Fresh" to be exact. There are twelve sets of makeup and some great news is that there are eyebrow tattoos included in the pack, black brown and red. I am wearing just the base skin with no additional tattoos. Bronze and Nutmeg tones are also available.

For each makeup you’ll get: ■- 2 skins per makeup: – one basic – one with enchanted cleavage ■- 2 extra skins with no makeup (Clear) is included with each makeup pack for Hazel!

Exile sent out three hair styles to the subscribo group this eve. Actually this looks like it was sent out twice, but the first message never got to me. We all know how that can be. So, if you are on the list and missed these great gifts, get over to the store and slap that board again to get your goodies. This is Violetta in Noir. The gift packs include ALL (that means many many) colors.

Other news is that the Trompe Loeil chair I SO LOVE that was in the Peepshow Skybox for CINEMA is now available on its own in a big variety of colors. Not only that, a special price is in effect for the next week. See all the colors here. The accent table with texture change cloth is new too. It coordinates perfectly with some of the Morning Light series items released earlier.

Gardening is a great love of mine. October is clean up, plant for Spring and say goodbye to digging in the dirt month -- at least in my corner of the world. So when I had an opportunity to add a new area to Peaceful Valley, it made sense to include a garden. I made my own raised beds and added some roses from a hunt awhile back as well as the gardening hutch from Cheeky Pea which I never had the prims to use before. (5000 left - of my!)

I spent a fair amount of time at the Marketplace looking for items I wanted to add the garden. Along the way -----

I found this watering can and pose set, a gift from MODEL POSES. Now I can't say that all the poses work that well and they don't look much like the photos in the ad, but --- they are free and if you need a watering can garden pose, I am guessing you can find one that works for you.

My tunic tank is one of four available on a new Gourd Hunt at VAUGHAN’S :: house of curiosities. I am going to be honest here, I actually went over hoping that the prize object would be a copy (in that you get the gourd and open it) rather than contents. That was not the case (cute gourds), but the store is charming with all sorts of interesting and odd things AND the tops are nice too. So head on over and take a look. There is a premium animal maker next door with almost every animal you can name should you be in the market.

My hair is a new release from EMO-tions, MALAIKA. The head wrap is texture change and comes with many ethnic patterned choices.

Lastly if you are in need of some nice looking pumpkins and squash, I made these today and put out a copy as a dollarbie at my shop. 6 prims in the set, they are right at the landing point for viewing. They mix in easily with other Fall decor.